Lindy's Pro Basketball 2021-2022 is in Stores Now
The arrival of the new Lindy's Pro Basketball
is a happy and welcome sight because that means the NBA season is about to start.
The 2021-22 edition of Lindy's Pro Basketball has 30 team previews, plus nine feature stories:
"Scopin' the NBA" by Mike Ashley (recapping the major off-season
stories), "Where is the NBA Headed?" (Pete Croatto predicts how the league will change by 2046), "The Young and the Restless Luka" (Michael Bradley discusses Dallas' young superstar), "Welcome to the Arms Race" (DJ Siddiqi analyzes the Lakers' acquisition of Russell Westbrook), "Keeping the
Faith" (Bill Sorrell provides his take on Kevin Durant's career ), "NBA Report Card" (editor Roland Lazenby grades each team's
off-season moves), "A Look Ahead" (Jeremy Treatman scouts the 2022 NBA
Draft), "NBA Fantasy 2021-22" (Ashley provides advice for fantasy
basketball enthusiasts) and "A Look Back" (Lazenby describes "The Agony of Jerry West").
I wrote six team previews and sidebar articles this year: Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City
Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers, and San Antonio Spurs. My sidebar
articles discuss, respectively, Jason Kidd, Stephen Curry, Zion Williamson, the Thunder's rebuilding process, C.J. McCollum, and the Spurs' search for a new identity in the post-Duncan era. Due to a production error, the Pelicans preview indicates that the franchise was founded in 1988 as the Charlotte Hornets, but of course the franchise was founded in 2002 as the New Orleans Hornets, as correctly noted in the previous edition of Lindy's Pro Basketball.
This is the 13th year that I have contributed to Lindy's, dating back to 2005 (with interruptions for the 2011 lockout, my attendance at law school in 2014-15, and then in 2020 because Lindy's Pro Basketball was not published in the wake of COVID-19). I am grateful
to Roland Lazenby for providing the opportunity, and I am proud to be
associated with the finished product.
If you do not see the magazine in any stores in your area, you can order a copy online.
Selected Previous Articles About Lindy's Pro Basketball:
"Forever Mamba" Pays Tribute to Kobe Bryant
Look for Lindy's Pro Basketball 2019-20 in Stores Now
Lindy's Pro Basketball 2018-19 Is Available Now
Lindy's Pro Basketball 2017-18 is on Sale Now
Lindy's Pro Basketball 2016-17 is Available Now!
Labels: Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Lindy's Pro Basketball, New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers, Roland Lazenby, San Antonio Spurs
posted by David Friedman @ 11:33 PM
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Welcomes 15 New Members and Honors Bill Russell a Second Time
The 2021 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class includes 16 inductees: NBA players Chris Bosh, Bob Dandridge, Paul Pierce, Ben Wallace, and Chris Webber; international player (and NBA player) Toni Kukoc; NBA coaches Rick Adelman, Cotton Fitzsimmons, and Bill Russell (who was inducted as a player in 1975); NCAA coach Jay Wright; WNBA players Lauren Jackson and Yolanda Griffith; Clarence Jenkins (Early African-American pioneer); former WNBA Commissioner Val Ackerman; Howard Garfinkel (founder of the legendary Five-Star basketball camp); Pearl Moore (selected by the Women's Veterans Committee).
Most of the speeches were informative and/or inspirational, but I will limit my focus to just a few of the inductees.
Webber led off the festivities, speaking with great passion and eloquence about his journey, about the people who helped him along the way--including his parents and Isiah Thomas--and about how his faith buoyed him during challenging times. Webber mentioned that one of his teachers was related to Turkey Stearnes, the great Negro League baseball player from the 1920s and 1930s, and that this teacher inspired Webber by seeing potential in him that he did not yet see.
Webber is a gifted orator, but it is unfortunate that when he speaks it is advisable to have a fact checker handy. Webber stated that he never received "handouts," which may have seemed like a throwaway line to those who do not know his story, but in fact this is a bold-faced lie. If he had not told that lie during his speech then I would not discuss this right after Webber received the sport's highest honor, but Webber received more than $200,000 in cash and gifts from disgraced "booster" Ed Martin and then Webber pleaded guilty in federal district court to one count of criminal contempt after he lied about receiving that money. Lying in federal district court about receiving large sums of money illegally is not a small matter, which is why Webber's individual NCAA honors and awards were vacated, as were the University of Michigan's Final Four appearances in 1992 and 1993. The NCAA also forbade the
University of Michigan from having any official association with Webber
for 10 years (that ban expired in 2013). Webber recently made a public claim that the current University of Michigan athletic director apologized to Webber about the school's handling of these matters, but the athletic director publicly denied apologizing to Webber.
Webber spoke about the importance of studying history and learning lessons from history, but he appears to need a refresher course on his own history. He would have been much better served not talking about "handouts" at all instead of rewriting well-documented facts. I did not intend to bring up this subject in my Hall of Fame article, but after Webber lied any ethical and informed writer is obligated to set the record straight.
I thought that Bob Dandridge gave the best speech. Dandridge scored more points than any other player in the NBA Finals in the 1970s while being a vital performer for two championship teams (1971 Bucks, 1978 Bullets). He shared his grandmother's motto, which became a mantra for him: "Be thy labor great or small, do it well or not at all." He also said that his parents Dorothy and Robert provided to him and his siblings the "tools to flourish not for a short time but for a lifetime." Dandridge called his seventh grade/eighth grade coach Russell Williams the best coach that he ever had even though Dandridge received little playing time during those years. Dandridge declared that the basketball fundamentals that Williams taught to him enabled him to enjoy a long and successful NBA career. Can you imagine a modern player having such a mature and patient perspective?
Dandridge is justifiably proud of the education that he received--in life, not just basketball--at Norfolk State University during a time when HBCUs provided opportunities that black athletes could not obtain at larger, better known institutions.
Dandridge noted that some people said that he played as if he had a chip on his shoulder, but he explained that during his era he faced the likes of Connie Hawkins, Elgin Baylor, and other Hall of Famers almost every game, and there was no "time management" (he clearly meant to say "load management") during his career. Battling against Hall of Famers on a regular basis required focus and a serious disposition.
Dandridge acknowledged that it took decades for him to finally be inducted, but he made it clear that he feels no bitterness: "You
all know I've had to wait a little while, but there's been so much
growth inside of me that I am real grateful for the wait. I've had a
chance to be a better father, I've had a chance to be a better person." Dandridge concluded, "Things happen in God's time."
Dandridge mentioned that he and fellow Hall of Famer Alex English helped develop the NBA's rookie orientation program that has been in place since 1994. I hope that all young NBA players take seriously the messages and wisdom provided by Dandridge and English.
I am always impressed when a player who is not from the United States and did not grow up speaking English as his primary language is able to give a Hall of Fame induction speech in English. Croatian Toni Kukoc--a European basketball legend who also played a key role for three of Chicago's NBA championship teams--spoke flawless English as he described his basketball journey. Kukoc was presented by Michael Jordan and Jerry Reinsdorf. Scottie Pippen was not at the ceremony, but in prerecorded remarks Pippen said that the Bulls would not have won the 1996-98 titles without Kukoc. Kukoc praised both Jordan and Pippen for first kicking his butt in the 1992 Olympics--inspiring Kukoc to work on his game even more--and then welcoming him to the Bulls just a few years later.
Ben Wallace's speech was shorter and less well-structured than most of the other speeches, but that takes nothing away from his accomplishments. Like Dandridge, he is an HBCU product (Virginia Union), but he is the only undrafted player to be inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Four-time Defensive Player of the Year Wallace was the heart and soul of Detroit's 2004 championship team.
Paul Pierce seemed to enjoy the moment as much as any inductee ever, taking selfies on stage during Friday night's ceremonies and reveling in the opportunity on Saturday to both thank his supporters and tweak his doubters--most notably each of the nine teams that did not draft him, and Pierce made a point of mentioning them all by name, bringing to mind Michael Jordan's Hall of Fame speech and the meme about various things that Jordan "took personally."
During an NBA TV interview prior to the induction ceremony, Pierce mentioned Steve Smith, Jimmy Jackson, and Grant Hill as role models after whom he modeled his game. I am not sure that I see the Hill comparison--Hill was a lanky, explosive athlete, while Pierce was bulkier and more ground-bound--but I definitely can see how Pierce borrowed elements of his game from Smith and Jackson, two players who scored based more on craftiness and fundamentals than athleticism.
Chris Bosh gave the evening's final speech, but it was well worth the wait to hear his intelligent and heartfelt perspective. He has long struck me as an athlete who is too smart and thoughtful to be well understood by most media members and fans, and this disconnect has sadly resulted in making Bosh the target of unfounded criticism. Bosh alluded to this when he talked about the memes about him crying after his Miami Heat lost the 2011 NBA Finals. Bosh admitted that he cried after many painful defeats, dating back to when he played youth basketball. Bosh cried not because he is soft or weak--it is ridiculous to consider crying to be a sign of weakness--but because he loves the game so much and cares so much about performing at a high level. Bosh described the tears he has shed during his life as the water that fed his growth as a player and as a person.
Bosh began his speech with a story about Pat Riley, who joined Ray Allen as Bosh's presenters. Bosh recalled that when he met with Riley during the 2010 free agency period Riley took all of his championship rings out of a velvet bag, placed them on a table, and told Bosh to take one to keep until they won a ring together. Bosh considered that to be quite a bold offer, since Bosh had not yet even agreed to sign with Riley's Heat. Bosh took the ring, and he admitted that he was waiting for the perfect time to give it back. Bosh turned to Riley on the Hall of Fame stage, and handed the ring back to him.
Bosh spoke about how great it was to be in a room filled with his heroes, but added that he also thought a lot about the people who were not there--most notably, Kobe Bryant. Bosh said that as one of the younger players on the 2008 Team USA squad he sought to make a big impression by getting up earlier than anyone else. Bosh set his alarm for 6 a.m., went to the team breakfast--and saw that Bryant was already there, icing his knees after working out. Bosh noted that this was just days after Bryant's Lakers had lost in the NBA Finals, and Bosh admitted that he was still exhausted even though his season had ended weeks earlier. He found Bryant's dedication and energy to be remarkable, and Bosh said that from this he learned that legends are defined not by success but by how they bounce back from failure. This is yet another great example of how a Pantheon-level player like Bryant is better appreciated by his peers than by media members, "stat gurus," and fans who lack the knowledge and life experience to understand what it takes to reach an elite level.
Bosh concluded by talking about how a potentially life-threatening medical condition ended his playing career when he was just 31, and he said that his career and life demonstrate how a person can "turn setbacks into strengths."
Bill Russell joins John Wooden, Bill Sharman, Lenny Wilkens, and Tommy
Heinsohn as the only people inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame as
players and as coaches. Russell won two NBA titles as a coach, both times as a player-coach when he was the best player on the team (1968-69 Boston Celtics). His NBA coaching record when he was not playing was 179-207 (.464). The latter mark is not impressive or Hall of Fame caliber, but it may not be fair to divide Russell's coaching career this way: other coaches have had Hall of Fame players but not won championships, and the reality is that Russell did a great job not only "coaching" himself but also coaching an aging roster to two championships in three years, capping off a playing career during which Russell led the Celtics to 11 NBA titles in 13 seasons. Perhaps it may have been more appropriate to honor Russell as a contributor than as a coach. Russell was the first African-American coach to win an NBA title and he has indisputably made many contributions to the game as a player, coach, commentator, and activist. He also had to answer perhaps the most stupid and offensive question ever uttered at an NBA press conference, as shown in the archival career montage footage: after Russell was hired as the Celtics' coach, one media member--I wish this person was identified by name--asked Russell if he could coach white players without prejudice, and after Russell immediately answered "Yes" the media member doubled down by retorting, "How?" Russell calmly explained that basketball is based on mutual respect for each player's abilities.
Russell attended the ceremony in person, but was only able to go on stage by using a cane and having the assistance of his presenters. He did not speak live, but instead provided brief, recorded remarks. Charles Barkley, Julius Erving, Spencer Haywood, Alonzo Mourning, Bill Walton, and Rick Welts presented Russell. During his recorded statement, Russell lamented that David Stern and Kobe Bryant passed away and could not be his presenters as well.
Barkley presented three of the 2021 inductees (Cotton Fitzsimmons, Bill Russell, Jay Wright), but he still has a long way to go to catch up with how many times Erving has been a presenter. The official records for Hall of Fame presenters only go back to 2001 (which is an odd limitation for an organization that is supposed to be dedicated to preserving and honoring basketball history), but there is good reason to believe that no one has been a Hall of Fame presenter more often than Erving. Here is the list of each time that I can confirm that Erving has been a Hall of Fame presenter. During his 1997 Hall of Fame speech, English explained that he selected Erving to be his presenter because, "Julius Erving has always been one of my idols, and what I consider and feel that all NBA players should model themselves after. He's been a great athlete, great player, a great statesman for the game, and a great ambassador."
A person must be a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee to be a presenter. Erving was inducted in 1993.
Julius Erving as Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Presenter
1994: None
1995: Presented Cheryl Miller
1996: None
1997: Presented Alex English
1998-2000: None
2001: Presented Moses Malone
2002-2003: None
2004: Presented Clyde Drexler
2005: None
2006: Presented Dominique Wilkins
2007-2010: None
2011: Presented Artis Gilmore
2012: Presented Katrina McClain, Ralph Sampson and the All-American Red Heads
2013-2014: None
2015: Presented John Calipari
2016: Presented Allen Iverson and Shaquille O'Neal
2017: None
2018: Presented Maurice Cheeks and Charlie Scott
2019: Presented Chuck Cooper and Bobby Jones
2020: None
2021: Bill Russell
Fitzsimmons, Jenkins, and Garfinkel are posthumous inductees. It is fair
to wonder why each of them was not inducted a long time ago.
Fitzsimmons won the NBA Coach of the Year award twice (1979, 1989), and
he ranks 16th in NBA history with 832 regular season coaching wins.
Fitzsimmons ranked seventh in regular season coaching wins when he
retired in 1997, and it is sad that he did not receive this honor until
17 years after he passed away. Jenkins was a key player on dominant
teams during the pre-NBA era. Jenkins passed away in 1968. Garfinkel's
Five-Star basketball camp was a fertile training ground for players and
coaches alike. Garfinkel passed away in 2016 at the age of 86. His
Five-Star basketball camp was active from 1966 through 2008, reportedly
producing over 600 NBA players and more than 10,000 Division I players.
Articles About Recent Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies:
Kobe Bryant Headlines the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (Class of 2020)
The Basketball Hall of Fame Welcomes A Diverse Class of 12 Inductees (Class of 2019)
Thoughts and Observations About the 2018 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony (Class of 2018)
Labels: Bill Russell, Bob Dandridge, Chris Bosh, Chris Webber, Julius Erving, Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce, Toni Kukoc
posted by David Friedman @ 4:31 AM
